Olympia

release description

After three years of non-stop international touring, when it came time to record Olympia, Austra had evolved into a complex collaborative effort between its six members. “Previously, I would flesh out songs before I brought them to the band, but this time I left them bare and let the others fill them in,” explains Katie Stelmanis, the principal songwriter/vocalist.

The album touches on a range of sentiments that stem from a relationship ending, a relationship beginning, and friends' struggles with addiction and motivation. Despite the sometimes dark lyrics written in collaboration with band member Sari Lightman, Olympia is bubbly and buoyant— fundamentally a dance record, which Stelmanis says was the band's aim all along. “We are really into dense harmonies and big beautiful melodies, but I also love techno and dance music. I wanted to bring those elements together.”

Upon release, Olympia has received critical acclaim from publications such as Pitchfork, Stereogum and The Guardian, which declared that Olympia is "clean, considered, with every detail in its place and a clear sense of its own identity."
Listen to Olympia in its entirety now via NPR Music's "First Listen" series.

After performing sold out release shows in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, the band head back out on their month long US tour this September which sees them finishing their tour at the Hollywood Bowl supporting The xx and Chromatics on September 29, 2013. Full list of dates below. Click for tickets and more info.